Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
The "Ground Zero Mosque" Does the Imam Shuffle
By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 14, 2011
Modified Jan 14, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 14, 2011
Modified Jan 14, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The story of the "Ground Zero mosque," also known as the planned Islamic community center and mosque that isn't actually at Ground Zero, got a new wrinkle today. Park51, the organization behind the center, released word that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who was the public face for the center during last fall's political firestorm, is stepping down from his role (though he'll be staying on the board). Pratt graduate Imam Abdallah Adhami will be replacing Rauf as senior advisor.
Rauf and his wife, Daisy Kahn, will no longer be speaking on behalf of the project or Park51 as they are going to be focusing their attention on supporting the Cordoba Movement, an entirely separate initiative. The center explains their reasoning behind the change like this:
Due to the fact that Imam Feisal is focusing most of his energies and passion on launching this new and separate initiative, it is important that the needs of Park51, the Islamic Community Center in Lower Manhattan, take precedence. While Imam Feisal’s vision has a global scope and his ideals for the Cordoba Movement are truly exceptional, our community in Lower Manhattan is local. Our focus is and must remain the residents of Lower Manhattan and the Muslim American community in the Greater New York area.
Hence the appointment of Adhami. Meanwhile, Park51 adds that other Imams still to be announced will also be joining the board in the near future to coordinate the building's religious services. “This is an extraordinary opportunity to be a key advisor on a project going forward that has enormous creative and healing potential for the collective good in New York City and in our nation,” Adhami said in a statement.
We're sure that those Wal-Mart loving mosque-haters are going to love this.
Tagged
Abdallah Adhami
Daisy Kahn
ground zero mosque
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
mosque
park 51
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .